Cluster-fixture for electric lamps.



APPLIOATION FILED MAR.15, 1906.

Patented May 11, 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

I INVENTUH WITNESSES P. H. JAEHNIG. CLUSTER FIXTURE FOR ELECTRIC LAMPS. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 15, 190s.

921,408. Patented May 11, 1909.

4 SEEETSSHEET 2.

WITNEESES Zwwbg g 03M! 2% P. H. JAEHNIG. CLUSTER FIXTURE FOR ELECTRIC LAMPS.

APPLIUATION FILED MAR. 16, 19061 Patented May 11, 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET a.

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' WITNESEEE INVENTUFI 27K BY M rns NORRIS rsrzns cc., WASHINGTON, n. c.

PAUL H. JAEHN'IG, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

CLUSTER-FIXTURE F03 ELECTRIC LAMPS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 11, 1909.

Application filed March 15, 1906. Serial No. 306,119.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, PAUL H. JAEHNIG, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Newark, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cluster-Fixtures for Electric Lamps, of which the following is a specification.

The objects of this invention are to provide a cluster fixture in which diflerentnumbers of lamps can be mounted, as desired; to thus reduce the varieties of fixtures necessary to be carried in stock; to secure'a simple and inexpens've construction, and one which shall be neat in appearance and substantial in service; to obtain positive insulation of all current-carrying parts, and a com plete separation of polarities; to provide a construction which can be easily assembled and connected to service wires; to enable a cluster'to be mounted close to a ceiling or wall, and to obtain other advantages and results as may be brought out in the following description.

The invention consists in the improved changeable cluster fixture for electric lamps, substantially as will be hereinafter described and finally set forth in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in each'of the several figures, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved fixture mounted upon a ceiling, the shade being partly broken away; Fig. 2 is an undern .ath view of the ceiling plate alone, and Fig. 3 is a similar view of a certain holding plate; Fig. 1 is a vertical central section of the complete fixture, as shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a plan of the frusto-conical body portion of the fixture, and Fig. 6 is a reverse plan of the same; Fig. 7 is a sec tional view on line 03, Fig. 4;; ig. 8 is a section, similar to Fig. 4, illustrating the mounting of a lamp in the bottom of the clusterfixture; Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the frusto-conical body portion of the fixture as employed in Fig. 8, and Fig. 10 is a bottom view of the same.

In said drawings, 2 indicates the ceiling, apertured as at to lead wires through, and flatwise upon said ceiling is mounted by means of screws 4., a ceiling plate 5, which in turn supports the cluster fixture. This ceil ing plate, which is of porcelain .or the like,

comprises a disk portion 6, apertured as at 7 to receive the screws 4:, and having a marginal depending flange 8. This flange is perforated as at 9, 9, and 10, 10, to receive wires in molding and in cleat wiring respectively, and preferably the flange is in sections upon aplane passing through the said perforations, so as to enable the wires to be simply laid into place. The lower or ring section 11, of the flange is then held in place by screw-bolts 12. The outer surface of the ceiling plate 5 has grooves 13, to relieve its plainness, and the outer edge of the flange 8, is groovedas at l t, to receive the upper edges 16, of the cluster fixture casing 15, when the shade 17, is not used. The disk portion. 6, of the ceiling plate is centrally apertured as at '18 and 19, 19, to receive teed wires, and also at '20, 20, to receive bolts 21, 21, by which a holding plate 22, is held near the outer edges of the flange 8, of the ceiling plate. The shade 17 when one is used, is held between the said holding plate and flange, as shown, and sleeves 23, upon the bolts 21, make the holding plate rigid. in its position. The said holding plate 22, is annular in shape ith holes 24, for the bolts 21, and other holes 25, to receive screws 26, by which the frusto-conical body 27, of the cluster fixture is mounted thereon. This frusto-conical body portion occupies an inverted position, is hollow with open ends, of

porcelain or other insulating material, and

is adapted to have lamp-sockets 28, as hereinafter described, mounted on its outer sur face. In detail, the body portion 27, has an inner ring or band29, and a lower outer ring or band 39, both being of brass or other good conductor, and each forming a terminal of one of the feed wires.

The lamp-sockets are of well known construction, each comprising copper or brass shell 31, into which an incandescent lamp (not shown) screws, said shell seating at its bottom against the outer ring 30. The disk 32, of insulation closing the bottom end of said screw-shell, has a screw 83, projecting therethrough and adapted to pass through the wall of the frusto-conical body portion 27, and screw into the inner ring The head of the screw, or a contact spring 301, thereon, engages the lamp end as usual, and preferably a raised portion 34, on the outer surface of the frusto-conical body 27, cooperates with the band 30, to form a seat for the lamp socket.

The inner ring 29, and walls of the body 27, are provided with screw holes 53, so

spaced as to enable any number of lamp sockets from two to six, to be regularly arranged upon the body portion, see particularly Fig. 7 of the drawings. Every body portion is provided with all said holes as shown, and each hole can be used for the total number of lamps shown opposite it in Roman numerals on Fig. 7 Thus my improved fixture is available for any number of lights from two to six, which it may be desired to have in a cluster, all without any change of body portion. Obviously, this conduces to great convenience, the reduction of varieties necessary to be carried in stock, and economy in every way.

Preferably one of the feed wires, as 35, connects to the inner ring 29, as at 361, and the other 36, connects to one binding-post 37, on a plate 38, insulated upon the lower end of the frusto-conical body 27. An extension or tongue 39, of the outer ring 30, laps over upon the end of said body portion, also, and wires 40, 41, leading downward from the cluster fixture to a drop light, pendent switch or the like (not shown), are secured one to a second binding post 42 upon said plate 38, and the other to the tongue 39.

A light sheet metal casing 15, incloses the body portion 27, of the fixture, being apertured in accordance with the particular number of lamps employed, to receive the sockets 28, as shown and be supported thereby. A different casing must therefore be employed for each number of lamps put in a cluster. An insulating sleeve 44, inoloses the screw-shell of each lamp socket where it passes through the casing, and an ordinary bushing 45, at the bottom of the casing provides a passage for the wires to the droplight or pendent switch.

Under some conditions, I may dispense with the drop-light or pendent switch at the bottom of the cluster fixture, and place a lamp there, as shown in Figs. 8 and 10. In this case one feed wire 35, as before is connected to the inner ring 29, but the other feed wire 46, is led outward through a hole 47, in the wall of the frusto-conical body 27, and connected directly to the outer ring 30, as at binding post 48. A bracket 49, is then secured to the inner ring as by a screw 50, into any unoccupied hole, and provides a foot 51, transversely disposed at or near the opening of the lower end of the frustoconical body-portion. A lamp socket is then seated upon the tongue 39, and plate 38, at the bottom of the body portion of the fixture (said plate acting here merely as a filler), and its screw 52, passes into the said bracket 49.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:

1. In a cluster fixture for electric lights, an inverted frusto-conical body portion of insulating material having a reduced end, a

contact ring on said reduced end, an inner contact ring, lamp sockets seated on the outer surface of the body portion in contact with said first-named ring, screws extending through the bottoms of said sockets into the inner ring, circuit wires in connection with said contact rings, and supporting means for said body portion.

2. In a cluster fixture for electric lamps, an inverted frusto-conical body portion of insulation, an outer contact ring having an extension. overlapping the extremity of said body portion, an inner contact ring, a bracket extending from said inner ring to a point within the body portion adjacent to its extremity, lamp sockets seated on the sides of said body portion in contact with the outer ring, and held by screws passed centrally through their bottoms into the inner ring, another shell seated on the bottom of the body portion. in contact with the extension of the outer ring and held by a central screw into the said bracket, and circuit wires in connection with said contact rings.

3. In a cluster fixture for electric lamps, a ceilin plate comprising a disk portion having an annular flange which is divided on a plane parallel to the disk portion and is provided with apertures arranged on the line of such division and means for separably connecting said sections, the said ceiling plate having apertures in its disk portion for securing it to a wall, and means at its flanged side for attaching the body portion of the fixture.

4. In a cluster fixture for electric lamps, a ceiling plate comprising a disk portion having an annular fiang'e grooved at its edges and divided on a plane parallel to the disk portion with apertures along the line of division for wires, means for separably connectin said sections and for mountin the V ceiling plate, a body portion for the cluster fixture secured to said plate, and an outer casing having edges adapted to lie in the said grooved edges of the ceiling plateflange.

In a cluster fixture for electric lamps, an inverted hollow frusto-conical body of insulation, means for supporting said body, an inner contact ring, said ring and body having registering perforations and the body walls having an independent hole, a bracket projecting from said inner ring and having a foot adjacent to the extremity of the body, an outer contact ring with an extension overlapping onto the extremity of the body, and an insulated plate upon said extremity independent of said extension, said body portion being adapted to receive lamp sockets upon the outside of itself in circuit with said rings.

6. In a plural lamp socket, the combination with an insulating base, of associated lamp contacts carried by said base upon the front side thereof, and connecting plates for said contacts secured upon opposite sides of said base.

7. In a plural lamp socket, the combination with an insulating base having a hollow projecting portion, of associated lamp contacts carried by the base upon one side of said projecting portion, and connecting plates for said contacts secured upon opposite sides of said projecting portion.

8. In a plural lamp socket, the combination with an insulating base, of associated lamp contacts carried by said base upon the front side thereof, connecting plates for said contacts secured upon opposite sides of said base, and an inclosing casing supported in position by certain of said lamp contacts.

9. In a plural lamp socket, the combination with an insulating base having a hollow projecting portion, of associated lamp contacts carried by the base upon one side of said projecting portion, connecting plates tor said contacts secured upon opposite sides of said projecting portion, and an inclosing asing supported in position by certain of said lamp contacts.

10. In a plural lamp socket, the combination with an insulating base having a hollow projecting portion, 0t associated lamp contacts carried by the base upon one side of said projecting portion, connecting plates for said contacts secured upon opposite sides ot' said projecting portion, and binding screws on said plates for the supply wires.

11. In a plural lamp socket, the combination with an insulating base, of associated lamp contacts carried by said base upon the frontside thereof, connecting plates for said contacts secured upon opposite sides of said base, and binding screws on said plates for the supply wires, said base being provided with a central aperture to accommodate the supply wire for connection with one of the binding screws.

12. In a plural lamp socket, the combination with an insulating base having a hollow projecting portion, of associated lamp contacts carried by the base upon one side of said projecting portion, connecting plates for said contacts secured upon opposite sides of said projecting portion, and binding screws on said plates for the supply wires, said projecting portion being provided with a central aperture to accommodate the supply wire for connection with one of the binding screws.

In a plural lamp socket, the combina tion with an inclosing'casing, of an insulating base adapted to close the open end of said casing, sets of suitably supported lamp contacts associated with said base upon the same side thereof, and connecting plates upon opposite sides of the base.

14s. in a plural lamp socket, the combina tion with an insulating base, of connecting plates secured to opposite sides of said base, a plurality of shell contacts connected to one of said plates, a plurality of center contacts, and means passing through said base for connecting the center contacts with the other of said plates.

15. In a plural lamp socket, the combination with an insulating base having a hollow projecting portion, of connecting plates secured to opposite sides of said projecting portion, a plurality of shell contacts connected to one of said plates, a plurality of center contacts, and means passing through the wall of said projecting portion for connecting the center contacts with the other or" said plates.

PAUL H. JAEHNIG. lVitnesses RUSSELL M. EVERETT, E'rmn. B. Reno. 

